Surrender
by irishlady18
Summary: Look inside for the summary! There wasn't enough room here for it to all fit or give it enough justice. :
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes**:

I have a brand new story! It just hit me all of a sudden and I thought it was decent so I decided to put it up for all to see. Below is a summary, although I do hope that you will continue to read on!

**Brief Summary**:

A battle had been raging between the Earth and the rest of the inner planets for centuries and all had succumbed beneath its might except for the moon. They continued to fight in hopes of gaining the freedom of their loyal subjects and friends; but alas, they too, fell to the strength of the Earth Kingdom and all hope died with their freedom. They were transported to Earth to serve as slaves, among other prospects. Now, nearly three hundred years later Endymion is the Prince of Earth and it is nearly time for him to claim his throne. However, before he could claim his rights he must pick a woman to consummate his rule. He decided to pick a slave, Serenity, so as to avenge the death of his parents nearly twenty years before. When she puts up a fight, he finds himself pursuing her even more and somewhere along the way he feared he had lost his heart. Will Serenity be able to change his barbaric ways and reunite the universe or will things fall apart in a disastrous manner?

**Disclaimer**:

I do not own Sailor Moon…so sad…

-----

**Chapter One**

"Why does it have to be so fucking hot?" groaned a bedraggled looking Lita, as she continued to plow the ground. Beads of sweat decorated the grimy faces of all the slaves and the stench was enough to gag someone to no end. She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand and continued to work before she was whipped by the guards, for the second time that day. Earlier she had punched a guard in the nose for daring to lay a hand on her ass and although she gained much satisfaction from it, it did not last long.

Mina shook her head, "The fiery infernos of hell will do that to you."

Lita muffled a chuckle as they continued to work in silence. The heat was absolutely miserable today; and with the lack of water being served, slaves were passing out left and right, which gained them a beating, and this small group of women were making it their goal to go unnoticed by the guards. For as long as they could remember this was the life they had known. Waking up before the sun touched the sky and going to bed only after it had left the sky. Ami sighed heavily as she continued to rake the ground, her bare arms shaking with the strain.

Serenity took notice of her friend's struggle. "Are you alright, Ami?" ,she whispered, her large cerulean eyes gleaming with concern. Ami looked up at her and nodded her head with a meek smile. Serenity returned the affectionate look and looked at the others. Each of them, she saw, looked a horrible mess. They hadn't been allowed to wash their hair in days so mud and straw were tangled up in their messy strands and dirt was caked on their skin so thickly it would be a miracle if they got all of it off in five scrubbings. She pushed several strands of her silvery mess behind her ear and began to once again aimlessly tend to the hopelessly dry ground.

"It's not like anything useful is going to grow out of this damned shit hole. Look. It's all dust!" Rei spat, her violet eyes piercing the ground like it was the very devil.

Lita nodded in agreement. "You're quite right. There hasn't been any rain here for years…"

"Centuries to be correct." Ami piped in. Everyone looked at her, curiosity on how she would know that glinting in their eyes. However, none seemed too surprised that she did because Ami always seemed to know everything. The blue haired mistress cleared her throat and began again, "The Earth has been in a drought for nearly three hundred years. It is said once the Earth conquered the Moon that the water was slowly starting to evaporate and there hasn't been rain since. That's why, supposedly, there is such a water shortage. Only the royals are allowed to use the water at their disposal."

The girls all stood quiet, pondering the new information just given to them. "Well I would say the Earth Kingdom deserved this great misfortune but seeing as how my ass is stuck here then it's not so great." Lita cursed. No one really knew where they came from all they knew was that their fates were all entwined with one another and for some reason all seemed to be secretly drawn to Serenity. Lita had questioned this emotion several times trying to figure out why she felt the need to protect the youngest one in the group so fiercely. She finally decided that it was because Serenity was such a caring person and always put others before herself, and there were very few, if any, still like her in today's world.

"Now, Lita. It is not very nice to wish such a horrible thing upon people." Serenity scolded lightly.

"Why do you always defend them, Sere? We're slaves, remember?" Mina muttered, giving her friend a 'what are you thinking?!' kind of look.

"We may be slaves and they may be royals. None of us can help the station that fate brought us into. It is not right to curse them, just because they are higher up the latter so to speak, and for all we know they could all be really nice." ,her angelic voice seemed to relax them all but Rei just couldn't keep her mouth shut any longer.

"Well if they're so nice then why aren't they down here plowing their suck ass land? Hmm Sere? Got an answer to that?" Rei grumbled, her hands tightening on the wooden handle.

"You know as well as I do that it would be very improper for them to do just that. As I said earlier, we each have our stations. It would not be proper for the Prince himself to come plow the land as it would not be proper for any one of us to take his place as Queen. We just have to accept that things are the way they are and although we may wish to change them quite fervently, we can't. So we must accept what fate has dealt us and make the best of it." Serenity nodded her head firmly, believing she stated her point quite well.

The four other girls stared at her silently for what seemed forever before Lita spoke up. "That may be true, but I wouldn't mind sitting my ass on a throne for the day and bossing all the 'nose-pointed-stick-up-their-asses' around all day. It would serve them right. Give them whippings every two damn minutes and just see how they like THAT!" Everyone couldn't help but giggle at their friend's outburst and all silently thought how true it was.

Mina covered her mouth with her dirty hand to keep from laughing from the visual of Lita as Queen for the Day. The image was quite comical and then something else came to the front of her mind and she quickly glanced towards Rei, an evil glint in her eyes.

"So Rei…been up to the palace lately?" the blond asked, trying to keep a straight and serious demeanor.

Rei glared at her ferociously, "Shut the hell up, Mina. You know very well that I have not. And why do you care anyways?"

"Ooooh, no reason really...was just curious if you had seen your lover around…" Mina cackled. Rei stared her down, the thought of killing her friend actually crossing her mind, but then her eyes quickly slid over to where the guard was standing and she forgot it completely.

"He's not my lover. And I would appreciate it if you would stop referring to that incorrigible ass as a lover in general. He loves no one but himself. Arrogant bastard." She mumbled under her breath as she angrily began to hit the ground with her plow.

The girls all looked at their friend, smiles stretched as far as they could go. They all knew that Rei secretly loved Jadeite, one of the Prince's generals. For the past seven months Rei had been sneaking off to the palace to see him. No one really knew what they did at these secret rendezvous but all guessed the same thing. However, recently Rei had not been acting as she had been. She had grown more irritable and in some cases depressed. No one dared asked her what was wrong, until today.

"What happened, Rei?" Serenity asked quietly, inching closer to her friend so the guard wouldn't be able to hear her.

Rei looked up at her friend, her eyes filled with so much forlorn and despair that Serenity could literally feel her heart shattering into millions of pieces. "Did you two have a fight?" she asked, somberly.

The raven haired goddess stood silent for a moment until she sighed heavily and nodded her head. "He proposed…"

This was something none of them had been expecting and the girls nearly collapsed on the ground from this new revelation. Fortunately, their tools in their hands gave them enough support to keep them standing.

"HE WHAT?!" Lita shouted in a harsh whisper.

Rei looked away, her eyes beginning to feel with tears. "He proposed…and I said no…"

"Why in the name of all that's holy did you refuse him?!" Mina said, her eyes practically bulging out of her head.

"You don't understand…" Rei choked.

Ami nodded and placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "It's okay Rei…you don't have to tell us anymore if you don't wish to."

Rei smiled and shook her head, "No, it's okay…I would have had to eventually told you anyways…he proposed several weeks ago…"

"That would make sense…" Lita started.

"…as to why you've been a total bitch." Mina finished.

Lita glared at the ditzy blond and shook her head, "That's not what I was going to say you dipshit."

Mina hesitantly chuckled and took a step towards Serenity, as if going to use her as a shield. No one in their right mind would hurt Serenity. It was true. In fact, none of the guards had laid a single hand on her for some reason, but they didn't have to. Serenity was one to bottle up everything inside and torment herself to no end when she felt she had done something to dishonor her friends or herself. Serenity ignored the two squabbling girls to her left and returned her focus to Rei once more.

"I think I understand why you said no…"

Rei looked up at her eagerly, "You do?"

Serenity nodded, "I believe you told him no for several different reasons. The first I believe is because you know that he is in a higher station than you and that things wouldn't work out. Am I right so far?" she paused briefly to see Rei nod her head, "Okay, by now I'm sure he told you that he would do anything for you and would even runaway with you, but you told him no because that could be very dangerous for not only you but us as well…because they know we're close don't they." She paused once more and watched Rei's astonished face, "The last I believe is you told him no because you love him."

Rei stood there in utter shock staring at her insightful friend. Lita and Mina had finally stopped bickering to listen to Serenity but both were confused. "What do you mean she said no because she loved him?" they asked in unison.

Serenity turned her gaze to look upon them, "What I'm saying is she told him no because she really, honestly, with all of her heart love him, and because of this love she does not wish to harm him in any way…which in this case would mean his reputation. He would be shunned from the Royal Guards and have nothing left. He would be as destitute as all of us and she simply does not wish this life on him."

Mina and Lita nodded slowly, their hands on their chins thinking about everything. "You know Sere are you sure you're a slave? Cause I'd bet my ass you could pass for one of those uppity persons in the palace." Lita teased, as she gently elbowed her friend in the ribs. Serenity laughed earnestly and that's when she caught the attention of the guard. He stared at her long and hard and she cleared her throat, signaling the others to continue working.

-----

"Where's Endymion?" Jadeite asked of Zoisite as he casually strolled into the room. His blond hair slightly swishing in the wind, as his emerald gaze swept the room diligently. Zoisite looked up from the current book that was cracked open in his lap. "I think he's in his study. Is there a certain reason as to why you wish to speak with him? I heard from Nephrite that the Prince is in an altogether nasty mood today."

Jadeite hesitated at this new bit of information but then casually took a seat next to his friend and reclined. "Oh nothing really…"

"Mmhmm…" Zoisite murmured amusedly under his breath as his eyes once again fell to the current page he was on.

Jadeite eyed him curiously, a blond brow arched. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

"Oh give it a rest Jed, we all know about your raven haired mistress." Zoisite laughed, flipping the page as he did so. "We also know that you proposed to her and she refused you…"

Jadeite nearly fell out of his seat. "And how the devil do you know that?"

"Word gets around extremely fast Jed. You should know that as one of the Prince's royal guards nothing is kept secret in this land. Servants talk and occasionally so does a…slave…"

Jadeite scowled, "What do you mean slave?"

Zoisite closed the book giving up all hope that he was ever going to get enough peace to even finish a chapter. He set it on the small table between them and looked his friend straight in the eyes. "A guard today stationed near a group of women overheard a conversation. They were talking about a certain lover of one of the girls and a certain female who sounded very much like an aristocrat supposedly defended her and your honor at the same time. Imagine that. A slave who actually cares."

"And…do you know what was exactly mentioned?" he inquired, trying not to get his hopes up too high.

"Well they mentioned the proposal and how she refused you. Two of the girls seemed near faint when she said it. And the woman who seemed to be aristocratic told her she understood why she refused and continued to give reasons and apparently they were all correct by the look on the dark haired girl's face."

Jadeite inched to the very edge of his seat, his hands clasped before him. "And would you by chance know of these reasons that were stated?"

Zoisite rolled his eyes in disgust, in his opinion there was no woman out there who deserved to be linked with the male race. No one ever seemed to care about literature or any type of conversation that dealt with some inch of intelligence involved, except for the guards and the Prince of course. "Jed, you really need to drop this. Endymion will not let you marry her. She's a SLAAAVE." He iterated, trying to make him understand the importance of this.

"Just give me the damn reasons Zoi!" Jadeite practically shouted. He cleared his head and muttered a near silent apology before asking Zoisite to continue. He waited a moment longer before beginning.

"There were three main reasons I believe. One, she knew it wouldn't work out…smart girl if you tell me…"

"Zooooi…"

"Right, of course, well the second one was that she did not want to put any of her friends in danger…and the final one was because she loves you. Very much as to how I was told. She doesn't wish for you to be ignored by high society because of her."

"That's all?" Jadeite asked in disbelief.

"Apparently." Zoisite finished looking at his friend, and the hope that seemed to instantaneously skyrocket in his eyes. He shook his head and stood from his seat, looking down at his friend in the process.

"Do you truly intend to ask Endymion his permission for this act of insanity?" He queried.

Jadeite nodded, "I love her, Zoi. She's…different. She's not like the other slaves. I feel like there's something more about her but I just don't know what it is."

"I see…well…I guess I shall accompany you to the Prince's study then…no sense in you going to the lion's den alone."


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Notes:

Hey everyone I am just so glad that everyone enjoyed the first chapter! You all made my day! I can only hope that I continue to make you guys happy. Now, I must warn you there might be a few slow points along the way but they'll get better I promise. You'll see the story unfold and my reasoning behind all of this.

Disclaimer:

I do not own Sailor Moon.

--

Chapter Two

"Goddamn those bastards!" Endymion growled from his seat behind a rather large desk made of the finest oak. His midnight blue eyes piercing through the window with such pure hatred a man could die by making eye contact. He ran a shaking hand through his raven tendrils and directed his gaze towards one of the guards that had been the unfortunate one to deliver the not so great news. The average sized man seemed to tremble where he stood, his eyes showing the very fear that disgusted the Prince to no end.

"How the hell did you become a guard in the first place you fucking twit?! You don't even have the balls to deliver news to me without trembling like a little girl. You're pathetic." He spat, his fist slamming down on the desk before him. A rather large vain was throbbing in his forehead.

"I…uh…I mean to say…uh…sorry you're Highness…" the guard croaked as he fell to his knee. Endymion glared down at him and just as he was about to stand a knock sounded at the door.

"WHAT?!" he shouted, his anger reaching an all time high at that very moment. On the other side of the door Zoisite and Jadeite stared each other in the eye. Zoisite looked him over carefully and quietly asked his friend if he truly wanted to do this right this moment. The blond Adonis inhaled deeply and then gave a curt nod before placing his hand on the brass handle and turning it swiftly. The two generals entered the room and Endymion's anger seemed to disintegrate almost completely. Only slight irritation remained.

"Ah…Jed and Zoi…if you will only wait a moment so that I may deal with this bumbling idiot?" he asked, cordially. The two generals nodded quietly both looking at the shaking guard, feeling quite sorry for the poor man. Endymion returned his sharp gaze back to the man at question.

"Now, just to make sure I heard you correctly please repeat what you said." Endymion ordered, trying to reign in his anger, although it didn't seem to be working.

The guard stood at attention and began to repeat what he had just said only moments before. "My Lord, I was st-st-standing guard in the village, sir, and I happened across a cottage. Normally I would have continued on but I heard hu-hu-hushed voices so I stopped to look inside a window. There was an elderly man and his family all gathered in there looking at something. So, I called a f-f-few other guards over and we entered the house. We raided the place and found a document of interest. Just as we were about to leave that old fool's daughter took the scroll and t-t-tossed it into th-th-the fire, sir."

Endymion's hands clenched into fists, his knuckles turning white from the exertion. His teeth began to grind together as he choked out, "What was on this document you speak of?"

The guard hesitated and he shot a glance over to the two generals standing in the corner. They looked at him expectantly, waiting to see what he was going to say. God only knows what the Prince would do if he said the wrong thing. He swallowed hard and then slid his eyes back to the Prince. With a deep breath to calm him a "wethinkitwasamapofthecastle" was let out on an exhale. Endymion honestly didn't think this man could be any more of an idiot than he already was, but apparently he was wrong.

"It. Was. What?" he growled through clenched teeth.

The guard squeezed his eyes shut tightly as he repeated himself, "We think it was a map of the castle…"

Silence filled the room. No one moved. No one dared even breathe. All eyes were on Endymion at this moment and as they stared, they saw the devil himself appear in the room. "GUARDS!!!" he shouted, a sinister look engraved in his finely chiseled face. In seconds, a swarm of iron clad soldiers stormed through the door and falling into attention, awaiting the command of their leader. "Take this bloody fool away. Lock his ass in the dungeon, hell I don't care what you do with him. Just get him out of my fucking sight." He ordered. The men saluted and two guards approached their comrade and one stood on either side of him. They took hold of his upper arm and led him from the room. The three remaining men heard the soft click of the door behind them and the tension seemed to have vanished almost instantaneously.

Endymion turned to his friends and smiled, "Sorry you had to see that…today has been a very trying day. Please take a seat. Relax."

Jadeite and Zoisite, not wanting to anger the Prince, did as they were told and took a seat directly across from him. All were quiet until Endymion spoke up. "Well what do I owe for this visit of your's? I hope it is not more bad news."

Jadeite felt his breath catch in his throat and his heart beginning to beat erratically from the adrenaline that coursed through his veins. With a quick jab to the ribs by Zoisite, Jadeite was able to breathe again, thus speak. "Well, I guess it depends on how one looks at it really. I, however, find it very good and exciting news."

Endymion quirked a brow. His hands reached out behind his head while his legs lifted to rest on the desk. "Oh really? So what is this very good and exciting news then Jed?"

"I have found love, sir." he murmured.

A true smile stretched across the Prince's face and the two generals had never seen him quite so jovial before. "Congratulations Jed! That truly is spectacular news! Who's the lucky girl and when shall I receive my invitation to the wedding?" he laughed.

"Well, her name is Rei…and the second part of the question is why we are here. I came here to gain your permission to marry her." He breathed.

"Well of course you have my permission, Jed. I wouldn't deny you anything. You know that. We've known each other since we were but babes."

"Oh, well thank you, my Prince." Jadeite said, returning Endymion's smile full force. He was about to stand up when he received yet another jab in the ribs by a certain someone sitting next to him. Jadeite looked over, a look of murder glinting in his eyes. He took his seat and Endymion eyed the both of them.

"Is there something else you wished to discuss?" he asked, not liking how Jadeite had instantly become jittery and Zoisite seemed to be looking everywhere but at him. "Well?"

Jadeite looked Endymion directly in the eyes and said, "She's a slave."

Silence, once again, filled the room. The tension so thick you could cut it with the dullest knife. Endymion repositioned himself in his chair and steepled his fingers, placing them just below his chin. "I'm sorry?"

"Rei…she's a slave…and no matter what you say I'm going to marry her because I love her. I don't care what you do to me. Nothing will change the way I feel about her." Jadeite replied, his passion for this girl quite evident in his voice.

Endymion's eye seemed to twitch Zoisite noticed and he knew the storm was brewing within. He knew he needed to jump in fast so that no rash decisions were made. "Um, Endymion, if I may say something?"

Endymion closed his eyes and then nodded his head quite sternly. "Well, if I may be so bold to say…instead of making rash decisions on both ends why don't we all compromise?"

"And how shall we compromise on a situation such as this?" the Prince muttered harshly.

"Well, how about you consider Jadeite's proposal for a couple days and until you give him your final decision. Jadeite will keep his distance from the girl and to make sure that he does he will stay by your side at all times." Zoisite began. He could feel the glares of Jadeite beside him but he continued to ignore them.

Endymion moaned and then opened his eyes to look at Zoisite. "Fine. My consummation ritual is almost upon us and that night we shall have a feast beforehand. Jadeite I shall give you my answer then."

Jadeite felt relief wash over him as both he and Zoisite stood. They nodded their heads and immediately made their way to the door. Endymion watched them leave and sighed heavily. He stood and walked over to a side table a filled a glass with scotch. He downed it in one swallow and made his way over to the window. He crossed his arms over his chest and observed the slaves working below. _How could he have fallen for one of those filthy shitheads?_ He asked himself. His eyes continued to scan the vast fields until a glint of silver caught his eye. He looked down and saw a small girl standing with her arms spread wide open as if to protect the children behind her. A smirk began to tug at the corners of his mouth. _And what do we have here? _

--

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!?!" Serenity shouted, her arms splayed wide to protect the small children behind her. Her cerulean eyes sparkled with anger and from somewhere deep down inside her she felt something tug at her heart. Something dark and sinister. It was one thing to beat the adults but when you put a child's life in danger Serenity was ready to fight to the death.

"Step out of the way you insolent bitch." The guard ordered, slashing the whip against his hand. "Or you'll get it just as bad as the rest of them."

"Like hell she will!" Lita shouted, coming up to stand next to her friend. "Don't you even think about laying a single finger on her or I'll shove your fucking head up your ass."

Serenity looked at her rather tall friend and knew what Lita had said was very true. One thing she had come to know about the girl in their years of friendship that she had a terrible temper and most of it came when someone messed with her friends. She then glanced even further to the side and saw the others approach as well.

"And that's not even the worst that can and will be done if you hurt her or the children." Rei seethed, she then continued to get her point across further by spitting on the guy's boot. The guard looked at the flock of women as if they were insane.

"I could have all of you killed for this." He said quite calmly, knowing or rather hoping, that he would get his way in the end.

"Death would be a Godsend if it means we don't have to look at your fucking ugly face each and every damn day." Mina chirped, a small smirk beginning to tug at the corners of her lips.

The guard's mouth fell slightly open before he snapped it shut again, his eyes narrowing into slits. "You. Bitch." He growled. He raised his arm about to bring the whip upon Mina when Serenity jumped in front of her and took the blow. She fell to a knee, blood beginning to trickle down her cheek.

"Sere!" Mina screamed and suddenly all eyes were focused on the guard. He hesitated and took a step back, but it was too late, he had just decided his fate and only God knew if he would survive it. The girls charge the shaken man and got several punches and kicks in before they were each pulled off of him. Serenity stood up and wiped her cheek with the back of her hand. She didn't even feel the guard taking her arm and jerking her away from the prone man who lay on the ground, motionless.

The girls were panting heavily; all trying to regain their composure, no one even noticed that the children had run off. Serenity looked up to see who had grabbed her when a movement in one of the palace windows caught her eye. She squinted against the sun and saw a dark haired man watching them. She suddenly felt a strong urge to go to him. Why? She had no clue. But something that went to her very core told her he was dangerous.

--

"What happened?" a silver haired man inquired of the guard, who had just picked himself up off the ground.

"Those crazy bitches attacked me! I demand that they be put down immediately!" he raged, his face turning a shade redder than the ripest tomato.

Kunzite shook his head, "Well, unfortunately, you are no the one who can make that call. Who and where are these crazy women that you speak of?" The guard pointed to a spot just to his right and that's when he saw her. She was absolutely beautiful. Her long golden locks fell to her waist and glistened as if it were the very rays of the sun. Her bright blue eyes were filled with determination and haughtiness to no end. His eyes roamed over her body from the tip of her head to the bottom of her to feet, devouring her as if she were a delectable treat. He cleared his throat and looked over the rest of the girls, noticing that in fact they were all rather gorgeous in their own way, although none to his particular taste as the blonde. Just with one glance he could tell which nationality they were, and a strange combination they were.

After glancing over them once more he turned back to the guard. "You're telling me that you let a bunch of petite, beautiful women who are SLAVES attack you?" Kunzite questioned.

The guard stuttered a little bit and Kunzite just shook his head. "Be gone with yourself. The Prince, I'm sure, has already seen this argument and has no doubt found enjoyment of your situation. If I were you I would make myself scarce and dedicate myself to working a bit harder in keeping the peace." The guard nodded his head quickly and scurried off like a frightened mouse.

Kunzite watched the pathetic man leave and turned back towards the five girls who all seemed to be glaring at him now. He raised a brow as he walked towards them. "And what have I done to deserve such malice looks?" he said soothingly.

"You're a general aren't you? You're in charge of that spineless bastard aren't you?" Mina shouted, elbowing the guard who restrained her in the ribs. "Let me go you fucking idiot."

Kunzite looked at the guards and gave them the command to release the women. They all sighed in relief, each rubbing their wrists to relieve the pain. "Yes, I am a general, miss. The Head of the Royal Guard in fact. Which does put me in charge of the 'spineless bastard'. If you don't mind, would you please explain as to why you all decided to jump the man? And do please be honest. I would hate for things to get messy and you all end up in a very…how should I put this?...unpleasant place?"

The girls all stared at him and a blue haired girl was the one to speak first. Her voice was so quiet and instantly he thought of Zoisite. "He hit Serenity." She replied, her light blue eyes shying away from his.

"I see…and what did Miss Serenity do to cause her to be hit?" he asked.

"She didn't do a damn thing! Serenity never does anything wrong! She was trying to protect the children and then she jumped in front of me so I wouldn't be hit." Mina stated, her arms crossed over her chest. His eyes momentarily fell to where her arms lay and could feel the swelling in his pants. He scolded himself and looked at the other girls. He deduced that the one with the still bleeding scratch on her face must be the object of discussion.

She looked him dead in the eyes with such boldness that he had never seen before. He was quite taken aback indeed. _Such arrogance and yet there's something about her…Endymion would definitely get a kick out of her. They're so much alike it's almost ridiculous. _He mused with himself. "You are Serenity I presume." She nodded and gave a slight and graceful curtsy. _What the hell? How is a slave able to perform that so flawlessly? Even a majority of the aristocrats I know stumble slightly…fascinating…_

"Well, that scratch doesn't look very good. Would you like me to call Zoisite down here? He'll be able to keep it from getting infected." He offered. _Why in the name of all that's holy am I being nice to this peasant?! _

Serenity shook her head. "No, but thank you very much for the offer." She whispered quietly. Kunzite's eyes were round as saucers now. _She even speaks as if she were a royal herself! Endymion isn't going to like this one bit. Oh God help us if he finds out about this girl. _He cringed at the thought of what the Prince would do to all of them if he did indeed discover this oddity of a woman. He wouldn't be happy one little bit.

"Well, alright then. Just make sure that all of you stay out of trouble because if this happens again I will be forced to take action. Understand?" he warned.

All of the girls nodded and turned to leave. Kunzite went against his instinct and called out to Mina. She turned around, her big blue eyes looking at him questioningly. He cleared his throat, "Could I possibly have a word with you? Alone?" She looked back at her friends who were waiting for her patiently. She sighed and told them to go on without her and that she would catch up with them later. They eyed her carefully but in the end did as they were told. Mina uneasily walked up to him and stood before him, arms behind her back.

He looked down at her, awe stricken. She was even more beautiful up close. "Let me see your hands." He ordered. She gave him a strange look before finally complying to him and lifting her hands up. He looked them over carefully and then smiled a quite brilliant smile that nearly took Mina's breathe away.

"You have very nice hands…surprising really since you are a slave." He said, trying to compliment her but when he saw the sudden anger flash across her face he knew he had said the wrong thing.

"If you notice none of us get blisters except for you Earth dwellers. We all know that we aren't from Earth. I mean look at us. None of us even resemble the decay and fungus that live here." Mina spat, yanking her hands out of his grasp.

He sighed with frustration, "I didn't mean it as an insult…I'm sorry what is your name?"

"Mina."

"Ah, such a beautiful name for an equally beautiful girl." He smiled.

She frowned and shifted her weight to her other leg. "Is this all you wanted to talk to me about? Because if it is I have work to be doing."

Kunzite momentarily confused, had forgotten what he originally wanted to talk to her about, but remembered just as Mina began to walk away. "I wanted to offer you a job in the Palace." He rushed.

She froze and slowly turned to face him. "You what?"

"I want to offer you a job in the palace…"

"And what would that be? I'm not going to be anyone's whore." She seethed, her anger once again boiling over.

Kunzite shook his head rapidly. "No, no. You would be hired on as a maid…a head maid in fact…well I would have to discuss it with the Prince first but it shouldn't be a problem."

"Why would you hire me?" she asked, her body fully facing him now.

"Because I like you…and I think you'll make a fine maid." He saw the blush creep onto her cheeks, which made him smile fully. "So what do you say?"

"Can…I mean…would you mind if I thought about it first?" she asked quietly. An emotional war raging in her brain, giving her a fierce headache.

"Not at all. I shall call upon you…let's say…tomorrow at noon?" he offered.

Mina stood there silent for a moment and then nodded her head in agreement. "Alright…" She looked away from him and muttered a quick goodbye before walking rather quickly away from him. He smiled after her and made his way to the front gates of the castle.


End file.
